


you don’t need to save me (but would you run away with me)

by seekrest



Series: Wonderstruck [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: (for now) - Freeform, Alternate Universe, But only if you squint, Domestic Bliss, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Harry Osborn Is a Good Bro, IronDad but make it MJ, Light Angst, Michelle Jones is Tony Stark’s Biological Daughter, Michelle Jones is a Little Shit, Peter Parker is a Little Shit, Secret Relationship, Yeah you read that right, its just me and my whims now, the calm before the storm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-29
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:21:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26177134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seekrest/pseuds/seekrest
Summary: Peter was so unlike anyone she’d ever met before - Michelle thinking that if she hadn’t been dating him, albeit in secret, for the past few months she’d think he was just a daydream - a figment of her imagination that if she didn’t concentrate hard enough on he’d just disappear.His snores prove that he’s real - smirking as she moves closer to him.
Relationships: Michelle Jones & Harry Osborn, Michelle Jones & Tony Stark, Michelle Jones/Peter Parker
Series: Wonderstruck [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1747099
Comments: 55
Kudos: 143





	you don’t need to save me (but would you run away with me)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [magneta](https://archiveofourown.org/users/magneta/gifts).



> Guess who’s back, back again. 
> 
> Song inspo: Call It What You Want, _reputation_ (2017)

The first thing Michelle was aware of was the sheet tangled up around her, moving slightly when she hears it - a sound that she’s become intimately aware of over the past few months.

She blinks a few times, taking in the tiny bedroom and cluttered decorations everywhere - some of which have been the result of her own influence. Her eyes eventually land on Peter - his hair a mess, his eyes closed and mouth slightly parted and the quiet snore coming from him would almost be cute if it wasn’t so loud.

Michelle grins, leaning away from him to check her phone - glancing through the notifications. There was predictably one from Harry, asking her for the thirtieth time this week if she was ever going to come clean to her dad and that he’d be there in a few hours to pick her up. She pointedly ignores that as she scans the rest, thumbing through her notifications. 

There’s a few from some college friends, one from a former hookup still valiantly trying to see if she’d be willing to meet up again. But it’s a message from someone who decidedly _wasn’t_ a friend that catches her eye. 

She taps open the message, sent from someone who seemed damned and determined to be friendly with her now for reasons she didn’t know and didn’t care to find out. Michelle was born with a bullshit meter, cultivated even further from years of having to deal with preppy rich kids with chips on their shoulders and a nosy press that was merciless. 

But it’s the content of the message that catches her attention, smirking to herself at them saying “Nobody’s heard from you in months. You okay?”

 _Never been better_ , Michelle thinks but doesn’t respond - putting her phone down and looking back to Peter, smiling to herself at how cute he looked when he was sleeping. He was completely free, almost boyish in how calm he appeared - to the point where it made her wonder if he even had a care in the world though she knew that wasn’t true. 

Peter was so unlike anyone she’d ever met before - Michelle thinking that if she hadn’t been dating him, albeit in secret, for the past few months she’d think he was just a daydream, a figment of her imagination that if she didn’t concentrate hard enough on he’d just disappear. 

His snores prove that he’s real - smirking as she moves closer to him. 

Being with Peter was unlike anything she’d ever had before, wondering how it was even possible to think such a thing. Michelle’s been in love before, knows how all-consuming it can feel and the idea that there’s no one else in the world like them. 

Yet as stupid as it was, nonsensical and completely foolish - Michelle felt _different_ with Peter. It wasn’t just that he was kind and honest and genuinely didn’t seem to notice any of the gossip that surrounded her life. It wasn’t just that he didn’t seem to care about her past mistakes or the bridges she’d burned with people in her life. It wasn’t even that he himself was different from anyone she’d ever dated, the crappy and poorly furnished apartment they were in a stark reminder - in more ways than one - that Peter Parker’s life was nothing like hers.

Being with Peter made Michelle _feel_ different, like the two of them had a chance of somehow making it in a world that had felt out to get her from the moment she was born. Being with Peter made her feel like she could do anything, not because she had the time or the resources do so but because of who _she_ was as a person. 

Being with Peter made her love herself even more, as if loving him made her feel like a brand new person - someone who wasn’t judged by her mistakes or her family name. 

She freezes, Peter still steadily snoring beside her as the thought hits her - a recognition flowing through her that this was the first time she’d acknowledged that she might love Peter.

Peter’s chest rises and falls, a steady rhythm indicative of the deep sleep that he’s in - Michelle watching him intently as she tries to grapple with this earth shattering revelation. 

Yet even as she thinks that, she chases it away. It wasn’t earth-shattering, not really. Not when the past few months are some of the best that Michelle’s ever had, not least of which because of the person laying next to her. 

Spending her weekends with Peter was something she’d gotten used to the past few months, quiet pockets of space and time where it felt like there was no one but the two of them. It wasn’t every weekend, it could be from the nature of their relationship. Yet dating Peter was probably the easiest thing she’d ever done in her life, one of the few things that ever felt like it came naturally despite all the cloak and dagger tricks she used to sneak away with him. 

Waking up next to him, huddled together less because of any kind of romantic thought but more because his crappy heater was out more times than not - it was the kind of relationship, the kind of _love_ , that makes Michelle wish they could stay in these moments forever. 

Harry was right, it was only a matter of time before the world - much less her father - found out how she was spending her time. A part of Michelle wondered if her dad didn’t know the truth already, the possibility that Tony Stark would ever be capable of maintaining personal space and boundaries near unfathomable in the lifetime that she’s known him. 

But Michelle doesn’t dwell on that, smiling as she moves closer to him. 

_I love you_ , she thinks to herself as she kisses his cheek - just enough for him to stir. _I love you_ , she thinks again, her lips beginning to leave a trail down his neck. 

Peter’s mouth closes, shifting himself awake as she brings a hand to trace soft circles along the planes of his chest and his abs - waiting for him to be fully awake before she goes any further.

 _I love you_. 

Michelle smiles when Peter’s eyes finally blink open, blearily looking around before he turns to face her - a grin that warms her from the inside out as he says, “Hey.”

“Hey yourself,” she says, kissing him soundly as her hand on his chest starts to move again - Peter gasping into her mouth as her hands trail across his stomach. 

“Is this okay?” She asks, Peter responding by nodding quickly as Michelle kisses him - her fingers moving to wrap around him. 

”Shit,” Peter says, Michelle grinning as she rubs her thumb over him - leisurely stroking him until he closes his eyes. Michelle shifts her position until she’s sitting, moving her hand with a little more purpose. 

“I was— I was having a good dream but this is better,” Peter squeaks out only to sharply inhale when she takes him in her mouth. 

She works her tongue and her hands, his soft grunts of pleasure propelling her forward. 

“What were you dreaming about?” She says, replacing her mouth with her hands as he pants.

“You,” Peter says, “always you.”

“Right answer,” Michelle says with a grin, Peter looking down to her almost dazed only to groan when she takes him in her mouth again - working her hand and her tongue with a bit more fervor as her head bobs up and down.

“ _MJ,_ ” he moans, the way he says her name turning her on more than she already is - forcing her free hand to wrap around his thigh and bring him to his finish rather than using them on herself. 

“Wait,” he says, Michelle leaning back as he pants out, “I’m close.”

“That’s the point,” she says with a grin, going to move her lips over once more when he says, “Together. I wanna--”

“You think you’ll be able to last that long?” Michelle smirks, moving her hand over him once more as he groans - squeezing his eyes shut before snapping them open. 

Michelle thinks she’s won only for Peter to move at almost inhuman speed, the way he’s so easily able to flip the two of them something she still hasn’t gotten used to. 

He kisses her with the kind of passion that she’d expect from someone who was dying, quickly grabbing a condom from his bedside table and tearing it open with his mouth. Michelle goes to put it on him when he shakes his head, huffing out, “Let me. I’m—let me.”

She grins, pleased with herself and allowing him to roll the condom on - only to let out a sigh when he easily slides into her, going down on him turning her on enough that she’s more than ready. 

She brackets her legs around him, drawing him closer as Peter starts to move - whispering things into her ear that leave tingles up and down her spine. 

“You feel so good,” he says, moving his hips at an almost torturous pace as Michelle sighs again. “You’re incredible.” 

“I know,” Michelle says with a smile only for it to fall as he increases his pace, closing her eyes as he does. 

Peter adjusts his position until he’s on his knees - bracing his hands against her hips and thrusting into her. 

“ _Fuck_ ,” Michelle pants, grabbing at the pillows behind her - Peter taking that as encouragement as he continues to move. 

For a fleeting second, Michelle wonders if maybe she doesn’t actually love him but is just easily fooled - the past few months of dating Peter also being the months she’s had some of the best sex of her life.

But then she opens her eyes, only to see that he’s staring right at her, his eyes filled with the kind of adoration she hadn’t thought possible from someone - as if he would do anything to be with her. 

As Peter’s hips continue to move, bringing her closer and closer as they move together - there’s only one thought that comes to mind before falling over into unimaginable bliss. 

_I love you_. 

* * *

She’s still thinking that an hour later as Peter gently traces his fingers in mindless patterns across her back, holding each other and resting in the afterglow. 

Michelle’s still catching her breath, wondering not for the first time how Peter was able to maintain such incredible stamina that he was capable of going several rounds in such a short amount of time - though if she was honest, she’d never think too hard on a good thing. 

“I hate that you have to leave,” he whispers into her hair, Michelle closing her eyes as she pulls him closer. 

It’s the same words he said that first night, a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that all these months later and there wasn’t a chance that he wouldn’t be saying it over and over again. 

This was the part of their weekend getaways that she hated every single time, the near constant reminder that this little pocket of time was just that - a pocket away from the reality that was their daily lives. 

Michelle wasn’t under any illusion that keeping their relationship a secret didn’t benefit Peter just as much as it benefited her. For as understanding and as patient and as _good_ as Peter Parker was, Michelle could only imagine how daunting it would be for Peter to consider how much his life would change if they were ever publicly seen with each other. 

It was something they talked about, in so many words - Michelle expressing that she wasn’t ashamed of him but more fiercely protective of how people would tear the two of them apart. All she wanted was to be able to date him in peace, without expectations or the world giving their own commentary - much less her own father. 

Peter understood, as he understood almost everything - to the point that if her bullshit meter wasn’t so finely tuned, she would think that he was hiding something. 

And he was, Michelle could sense that there was… _something_ he wasn’t telling her or why he was so willing to keep their relationship a secret. But it wasn’t sinister or at the very least, wasn’t something that Peter seemed to hold an objection to in regards to her - making Michelle more than okay to push away that possibility for a later time. 

Yet even as she thinks that, there’s a superficial and childish part of her that _wants_ the world to know Peter. She’d lived enough of her life in the public eye that all it would take would be to wear a necklace with his initials on it, knowing the gossip rags and overeager teenagers on social media would go wild over figuring out what it could be mean.

Michelle used to have fun with that with Harry, mismatching jewelry and pieces of clothing just to fuck with nosy people too invested in her life. Yet for once she _wants_ it to mean something, a way to claim him as hers and she as his - not because she wanted Peter to own her but to prove to the world that they didn’t know her, not like _he_ did. 

But Michelle didn’t have that luxury and knew she never would, sighing before she said, “I know.”

“Wish we could just stop time, you know?” He says again, Michelle shifting her position to look into his eyes - seeing the storm in them as he continues, “so it could be just us. Run away from all this…” he waves his hand out to nothing, the city and the world outside far removed from the safety and comfort of his bedroom. 

“You wanna be my knight in shining armor?” She teases, “save me from the big bad press?”

“You don’t need _anyone_ to save you,” Peter says with a smile, Michelle laughing as he kisses her. 

“Damn straight,” she says, kissing him back. She knows that if they continue this that they could easily go for another round. She lets herself for a moment fall into the daydream, to run away with Peter and from the press and from a world of expectations - only for the grumbling of her stomach stops that thought right in its tracks.

Peter laughs as he says, “That I can help with.”

“You heard that?” She asks incredulously, less embarrassed considering how long they’ve been together but flabbergasted that her stomach could be so loud that even Peter could hear it.

“My _neighbors_ heard that,” Peter tries to joke, Michelle catching some look in his eye that immediately raises a red flag. 

He was lying to her, her bullshit meter going off like an alarm bell - though why and how he would be lying about something as benign as this, Michelle couldn’t make sense of. Before she can think to ask him anything further he kisses her again, sitting up as he says, “Come on, I’ll make you some pancakes.”

He almost leaps out of the bed, Michelle smiling despite herself as his wiggles on some sweatpants - knowing there was an increasingly likely chance that she’d just rip them off of him once more before she leaves. 

The thought of leaving hangs over her head once more, biting the inside of her cheek as Peter’s turns to her. 

“You coming?”

Michelle has a few dozen dirty jokes on her tongue but finds them all caught up in her throat, forcing a smile and chasing away the bittersweet feeling that for as warm and as comforting as this slice of life that she has with Peter is all-encompassing that it was still just a fantasy. Not least of which because of the nudge in the back of her mind that he was hiding something from her, a part of Michelle wondering if she even wanted to know what it was lest she broke the spell of peace between them. 

It was an inevitable fact in her life - by virtue of who she was and the life that she lived - that she couldn’t keep anything safe and unblemished for long. Michelle couldn’t help but feel that she was doomed to repeat the same mistakes she always made in her life, thinking that she was her father’s daughter in more ways than one. 

She doesn’t think about that, Peter’s smile and warm inviting eyes drawing her into a peace that makes her feel like maybe despite all the mistakes she’s ever made, maybe she did one thing right.

“Yeah,” she says, smiling back at him, “I’ll be right there.”

* * *

Michelle kisses him once more, Peter groaning into her mouth before reluctantly pulling away.

“I have to go,” she says, Peter resting his forehead on hers. 

“I know,” he says, Michelle wishing they could just pause time forever - that there was a world where she didn’t have to leave at all, could fit herself into his life without having to contend with the craziness of hers. 

But this is the life she has, not the life that she wants - Michelle sighing before kissing him again, Peter tenderly cradling her cheek before she finally lets go.

“I’ll text you,” she says, sounding more sad and pitiful than she planned but Peter himself seems to understand, his hands moving down to take hers as he says, “Can’t wait.”

She smirks, playfully rolling her eyes before saying, “You’re the cheesiest person in the world.”

“Only for you,” he says jokingly, winking as she laughs. She’s half-tempted to text Harry and ask if he’s willing to go for another ride around, thinking she could feasibly have another quickie before Peter’s phone buzzes on his kitchen counter - watching as he turns to it and gets an unreadable expression on his face.

“I should-- it might be work,” he says, Michelle watching as he turns to face her with a hardened expression on his face. 

“On a Saturday?” She asks incredulously, Peter grinning before his phone buzzes again - Michelle knowing that was her cue to leave just as much as he needed to go.

“Some of us have to work for a living, MJ,” he says jokingly, Michelle rolling her eyes as he laughs. “Science never stops.” 

“Ok well, have… fun?” She says, Peter laughing again as he kisses her once more. 

“I will,” he says, a tightened expression on his face that she can’t make sense - getting the sense that he wasn’t exactly lying about having to go to work but baffled to why he was so unwilling to do so. 

Michelle didn’t ever need to work in the traditional sense, chalking her confusion up to her lack of understanding of what Peter’s life was really like no matter how much she tried. Yet it’s still bothering her when she’s safely back in Harry’s car, hearing him chatter about some girl that he spent the night with only to get thrown out of her thoughts when he says, “You okay?”

“Huh?” she says, Harry looking at her in amusement. 

“Trouble in paradise?” He asks, half teasing in the same way Harry always was with an undercurrent of concern. For as much shit he gave her in Michelle treating him as her personal chauffeur all these months, a cover that she _knew_ she didn’t need as a grown ass adult and yet still relied on all the same - Harry still willingly went along with it, glad that their prior failed relationship didn’t erase the genuine friendship they still had. 

“No just… kinda wish I had a different life you know?”

“Don’t we all,” Harry mutters, a pang running through her at his tone. For as much as Michelle hated the chains of living life under a microscope, she could at least be thankful that her dad wasn’t anything like Harry’s - a lifetime of expectations and a burden to be better foisted upon him in a way that Michelle never felt, at least from her father. 

It didn’t help matters, Michelle thinks - that for as much as Harry was one of her closest friends that Oscorp and SI were technically rivals, wondering if all the time she was allegedly spending time with Harry was causing some kind of rift between Harry and Norman. 

“But them’s the breaks. Could be worse,” Harry says before Michelle can say anything further, nodding towards the apartment buildings around them as they drive away, “we could be living in these dumps.”

“Harry…” Michelle says, Harry just laughing as he waves a hand around. 

“Kidding, I’m kidding. I know we’ll be the first to go when the revolution comes but you gotta admit, MJ,” he glanced to her, a knowing expression on his face, “only you would pick the one person who would be completely unphased by all this bullshit.”

When Michelle doesn’t answer, Harry takes that as his cue to say, “unless he’s not? He wanna go public?”

She shakes her head. “No, that’s not it. He’s… fine with what we have. A little too okay with it.”

Michelle catches Harry making a face out of the corner of her eye, turning to him as he says, “Wait, wait, wait, let me get this straight. You have a guy who is not only decent but is perfectly fine with you stringing him along in secret like some clandestine booty call—“

“Harry—“

“Who months after being with him hasn’t leaked a word to the press and is totally okay with being in this weird as fuck limbo. And you’re what, _bothered_ by that?”

As Harry says it, Michelle realizes how it sounds - Harry laughing as he shakes his head and turns his attention back to the road.

“Come on MJ, really?”

“I know,” she says, going to say something further only to be distracted by something overhead - glancing up and raising her eyebrows when she sees him.

“What the—“

“Oh shit,” Harry mutters, Michelle feeling the same when they hear the roar of something unnatural up ahead of them - Spider-Man swinging into action just as something Michelle could only describe as a man made of sand comes up out of nowhere.

“What the hell, I hate this city,” Harry says, immediately turning his body around to back up.

“Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit,” Michelle says, leaning back in the chair when she sees someone _painfully_ familiar, hearing the pulsar whine as he flies overhead.

“Come on, come on,” Harry says to no one as the car careens backwards, the street behind them empty as Michelle watches the scene in front of her in amazement.

It was rare that her dad suited up as Iron Man anymore, the few years of peace that they’d had and the cropping up of street level vigilantes giving the Avengers the chance to only be called in for major events.

The sand guy in front of them doesn’t seem big enough to warrant the use of Iron Man only for Michelle to hear another roar coming from her right, turning in fear when she sees the Rhino barreling towards them.

“Fuck. MJ, come on!” Harry calls out, grabbing at her and opening his side of the door. Michelle springs into action, diving over the center console and out of the car as quickly as they can, her and Harry running out of the way just seconds before Rhino crashes into the car - smashing it into nothing as he rushes towards her dad and Spider-Man.

“NO!” She hears someone call out, a voice that’s oddly familiar even if she can’t place it - wanting to see who it is only for common sense to tell her to hide with Harry.

They crowd into a local bodega, the owner’s eyes widening when he recognizes who they are before beckoning them inside - the three of them and another customer huddling behind the counter.

The fight continues to roar outside, Michelle closing her eyes - both wanting to know what’s happening and refusing to accept it, knowing that if her dad knew she was out here and not somewhere across the city with Harry that he’d be too compromised in the fight to focus.

Yet the nerves still cause her hands to shake, Harry gently resting his over hers as she snaps her eyes open and meets his comforting gaze.

Of all the things that Michelle hated of her life, she thinks this is the worst part - knowing that the person you loved was flinging themselves off into danger, never knowing if the time they left would be the last time she ever saw him.

Michelle takes a deep breath, interlacing her fingers with Harry as they wait - her mind inexplicably running back to Peter.

If there was anything she could be thankful for, it was also this - that keeping Peter a secret from the world kept him safe in more ways than one.

Michelle knew it couldn’t last, that a by-product of being in her orbit would eventually cause him harm.

But she doesn’t think of that just yet, thanking anyone out in the universe who would listen that despite the danger she hears just outside that at least one person she loved wasn’t in danger.

That Peter was safe - and if Michelle had her way, he would always be. 

* * *

_I want to wear his initial_

_On a chain round my neck, chain round my neck_

_Not because he owns me_

_But 'cause he really knows me_

_Which is more than they can say,_

_I recall late November, holdin' my breath_

_Slowly I said, "You don't need to save me_

_But would you run away with me?"_

_“Yes.”_

**Author's Note:**

> Me to MJ: honey, you gotta big storm coming


End file.
